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I would say you should contact your assignor and give him a heads up. Better to hear it from you than the coach first. I’m not sure (and I’d be curious) why he came to you in the first place if he wasn’t going to change the call. I probably would have asked him that when you huddled. I don’t know your experience level vs. his, but I would have a real hard time breaking that huddle without changing the call. I would tell him, “Either we’re changing this call or you’re taking the heat for this.” Finally, if the call didn’t get changed, I wouldn’t have talked to the coach. I would have directed him to go talk to the calling umpire. By simply telling him: “Nope, don’t talk to me. Go talk to the calling umpire” you’ve told the coach that you don’t agree with your partner without completely throwing him under the bus. I’ll stand with my partner every time I can, but I’m not going down with a sinking ship either. I mean, if my buddy wants to fight the cops, I’m not spending the night in jail with him. He’s on his own.

We had a discussion going on in another thread, so I decided to start one here to give an update to those of you that are all wanting to get your hands on one, here is what I found out, according to our friend So Yamaguchi, owner of Samurai Gears. I’m not real optimistic on a reboot, at least one directly from Mizuno. I asked So about offering Mizuno a pre-sale, and if specific numbers were met, they could do a limited production run. He floated that to Mizuno, and their answer is, when they stopped production, they threw out all the molds for these. (I find that answer from Mizuno as a little suspicious. If these were made by injection molding, the molds are VERY expensive). But maybe they did. He then asked if he were to get a manufacturer to make a similar throat guard, if people would be interested. I said if it had the same look and feel, I think it would do well, because these aren’t necessarily something that brand matters on. If he gets it right, then they should sell well. If it looks cheap, then probably not. i also mentioned one of our members here (sorry to who it was, I can’t remember, so shout out if it was you, or if you know who) talked about a 3D printing angle, and he was very excited at that prospect, and was going to look into it. Not sure how he gets around the copyrights, but maybe Mizuno doesn’t care anymore. Doubtful but who knows. In a nutshell, it’s not much to convince me that there is any real chance, but the one thing we do have, is that So told me he wants one for his mask, so at least we have someone that is motivated, and had a personal stake in it. I’ll let you know when I hear from him again.

Ah, that makes sense. Make sure you keep a second one to wear on your back. While it shocks me that someone is selling away a XV (and a MaXV at that), I'm not mad at ya... The one you bought was a "rescue job" anyway, and you and I saved it from a life of abuse and neglect. Hope someone buys it and puts it to good use.

In our neck of the woods, the majority of all JV and all Freshman games are solo... Then come off season ball and pretty much everything is solo unless you're working a tournament. Balls hit to the infield, go towards the mound except for a play coming direct into home. This gives you angle and some distance for pretty much all calls on the bases. If you go inside and for some reason you end up with a play at the plate, just take the reverse angle and stay inside. Just be mindful of where the throw is coming from... Pick-off and steals... ball beats the runner and the tag is down in time, you have an out. Unless you see an obvious miss, grab the out. Reverse this on pick-off's... unless you see an absolute out, especially at 3rd, benefit of the doubt goes to the runner. Your angle on pick-off's is not great from behind the plate, so be positive on an out. Hustle out but don't over commit. Chest to ball and head on a swivel... As for mentioning anything to the coaches... I would just mention at the plate meeting that as they know I am solo. If a play happens, they have a question, whatever... they need to stay in the dug out, wait for the play(s) to end and then ask for time. When granted, come on out and we will discuss whatever... Nothing else about how you will handle the game, make calls, not make calls etc... Ohh yeah.. don't go behind the mound. Your in and out will be good, but your up and down will be atrocious since your frame of reference will be poor to judge the vertical. My daughter is in 8u and most of the 'umpires' call from behind the mound. They call strikes at the chin because F2 catches it mid chest... looks like a strike from back there, but not a real hit able pitch. Even freshman HS expects up and down to be decent.

Never had that happen to me but I feel your pain. In that situation I would have said slow down we are having this discussion and you are going to hear what I have to say. You blew the call, I know you think you are right but your not. If you were so sure you got it right then you should not have came to me. I am 100% he is safe so do you wanna let some pride go and get it right? If he wants to stick with the call I am telling coach he said he has it and don’t need help. I am not getting chewed and made to look stupid because he won’t listen

You could always ask the 3rd base coach

After a few years of being away from the site, I've decided to return. I'd like to say that I've improved my assignments, but work and family has gotten in the way the past few years. When I was able to work, they were JV or lower-level Varsity games, though most of my games were men's leagues, whose games were later at night. I took this year off. In January, we decided to relocate to a different area of the country. We no longer had a reason to stay in St. Louis and decided if we didn't do it this year, we would never do it. Taking the year off the field was a two-fold reason: (1) More time to look for jobs; (2) To make sure I still enjoyed it. I'm happy to say that both reasons have been validated. In June, we will be moving to the Charlotte, North Carolina area. I'll be starting the job in 8 days, working from home until we make the move. I've already contacted the local association where we're moving, and will watch some games when we arrive. Hopefully I can be out on the field next spring. It feels good to be back. I'm itching to be on the field, which lets me know the break was worth it. I hope to spend the next 9+ months helping and learning here, while digging back into the books to be ready for first pitch in 2019.

I can put up with coaches, players and parents. They usually are either stupid or don’t know the rules. The one thing that will set me off is seeing red is a partner that throws me under the bus or tries to show me up. It is usually either young kids who have talent but are cocky or older guys who say they use to ump college or whatever. I am a white hat/TD and had a guy a few years ago that liked to throw his partners under the bus. I talked to him about it and he says if my partner screws up I should be able to fix it, I shake my head and say you have been warned. Week later he has 3 games and after the first game his partner is red hot because he did it yet again. I go to the guy and say WTF! Did I not make it clear to you before? He gets mouthy and says it’s his job to get it right and his partner should get it right. I said go home you are done for the season. He says good luck finding someone to come fill in, I said your replacement is here already. I put my plate gear on and asked other ump if he was ready to go.

Man... I feel like I should up mine from ONE to A FEW? Lol

That would be 144 bases. By rule, it was a two-base award in OBR -- only by reading some of the interp manuals (and these weren't as readily available as they are now) would an umpire know to award only one base.

I only wear ball bags behind the plate

This is pretty much exactly what I've been doing, so thanks for confirming I'm doing it correctly. I'm not being smart, I'm serious as I was looking for confirmation I was doing it right thus far. Good point on the up/down strike zone... of course at higher levels, the drop of the pitch should be less since the pitcher throws harder theoretically. Regardless, I can't bring myself to call from behind the mound as I keep thinking of LL coaches doing that for scrimmages and how much I hated it as a player. It just "feels" wrong.

I've not had it yet, but I know of one situation where the HC ticked off the PU and he purposely called the guy out to make a point and wouldn't let the BU change the call. A little different scenario as BU called out and then went to PU to verify if foot was pulled reasoning easier to change out to safe, than safe to out as is his usual procedure. Both are very good umpires (one is former MiLB), so PU partner told him he pulled foot but HC was being a _____ so let it stand as an out to make a point. I'm with the others though on sending coach to the other guy. No throwing him under the bus, as I've been on that end and that's not right, but let coach know it isn't my call to override - unless my partner asks me to make the call. I had one earlier this year where there was a super close play at 1B and F5 throw pulled F3 towards RF, but in my opinion he stayed on as he fielded the ball. No argument from 1B coach and no verbal challenges from anyone as it ended inning. Then, as I take ball to mound to clear pitching plate (as is my practice if covered), the 3B(head) coach comes over and says he pulled his foot by 3 feet and if I didn't believe him to ask my partner. Inning was over, both teams are in there dug outs by this point and the fielders are heading back out. He never asks for challenge, just makes the comment and then goes towards his dugout entrance, but stops at home plate and talks to my partner. Then, a few seconds later, he calls out to me that PU had it too. Again, no request to overturn was made so I never checked with my partner and just figured it's a head coach trying to get into my head. After the game, PU apologizes to me saying he shouldn't have let the HC talk to him like that and he was sorry for throwing me under the bus. It felt odd then and still does. Don't do this to your partners... I make it clear right up front in the umpire pre-meeting that if you see something I missed, then get my attention so we can meet and make the right call. Please don't be silent and let it stand and then throw a fellow umpire under the bus. We're a team and should work together. I know I'm not perfect and have a lot to learn yet, so I try to remember others might as well.

Sometimes I hear the cheers on the baseball field from softball and I'm tempted to go over and tell them to 'knock it off'

If I had it 110% and the coach asks for help, particularly on a judgement call, I will tell the coach "No, I had this all the way!".....now if I'm not completely sure, I will go talk to my partner to see what they have, and I am perfectly willing to change the call with more information. Just to meet to placate the coach, in my opinion, is not the way to go. I feel that if the call is close even if I get it right the coach will probably still be pissed at me. If I go to my partner with no intention to change anything, I have the coach pissed at BOTH of us.

There are times here where we have to communicate with our partners that they'll have to take fly ball coverages because we just can't see. Other times I've absolutely looked across the plate to call pitches. @MadMax makes a good point that a number of the fields we have problems with are part of the big spring training complexes. With a dozen fields designed for use in the mornings there are bound to be these kinds of issues. There is a field in the Angels' complex that can't be used after about 4 PM much of the year. Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

Well, when it's INT we declare, "That's INT." When it's OBS, we declare, "That's OBS." So, when it's detached equipment, ... And, if a runner had been advancing, then, yes, wait to see what happens. If not, go ahead and call time.

I grew up in Newark and work in Columbus, so it feels Central to me. I'm in a tri-county area as Coshocton is less than 30 minute drive, Mt Vernon is 20, Newark is around 20, and Zanesville is maybe 35 minutes. I'm in Knox County, but Licking County and Coshocton County lines are less than 3-5 miles away respectively. Its farming and oil country out in my neck-of-the-woods!

Yes, IN my time umpiring, I have come across a number of fields that that were ill constructed allowing the sun to set directly from center field over the backstop. The last 30 minutes of the sun set the sun was directly in the Pitcher and fielders eyes, making it a safety issue. It was about a 20 minute delay.

shame on the HC and 1BC for not getting clarification of the call or lack there of.

Yes -- "that's nothing" is *also* a call. And, while not required, it can be a good tool -- if it's not overused -- sometimes the play is obvious enough that nothing is needed. The OP has many confusing elements (why no call after the fact even with the obvious confusion; why was BU heading toward first (I assume it was two man); why call the abandonment out when both the offense and the defense were confused) -- I'll pass on any attempt here, except to say that the signal is *not* required and either coach can / should ask for clarification before either team starts to leave the field.

Just last year the NFHS added a rule (8-3-6) and I think it accounts for the Pennsylvania rules interpreter’s ruling for Situation 1 in the bulletin. Here’s what NFHS stated in the 2017 Rules Interpretations-- A new article 6 was added to Rule 8-3 to provide a rules reference for an existing ruling in the Baseball Case Book. The new article reads: “When a plate umpire hinders, impedes or prevents a catcher’s throw attempting to prevent a stolen base or retire a runner on a pickoff play, if an out is not made at the end of the catcher’s initial throw, the ball shall be dead and all runners shall return to the bases occupied at the time of the interference.” 2017 SITUATION 12: The pitch bounces off the catcher and rolls away from home plate. The plate umpire, trying to get out of the way of the catcher, moves into the catcher’s path as he attempts to retrieve the pitched ball. The contact causes the catcher to lose enough time so that he cannot make a play on the runner advancing. RULING: This is not umpire interference. The play stands. (8-3-6)

I had a situation in my early days when my partner (who had been doing this longer than I had been alive) totally screwed the pooch on a fair/foul call on a home run as PU (I've shared the full story before, but it's not relevant.) He came out for help and told me that he blew it and he was changing it; however, I had absolutely no help to give him. I handled it as Jason suggested and told him that if DC came out, I was sending him straight to PU. The difference between my situation and the OP, though, is that my partner knew he messed up and wanted to get it right. In the OP, BU doesn't care that he messed up and has no desire to get the call right, and implicated PU in the situation by going for help with no intent of using the information. Thus, if I'm PU, I have no confidence that BU isn't going to lie to the coach if I send him directly there. I am going to make sure that I am close enough to the conversation to "correct" BU if he tries to claim I confirmed his call: "I had additional information, and by rule, the calling umpire can evaluate it and determine if the evidence is sufficient to change the call. You (He, if I'm talking to the coach at this point) felt it should not." I'm still speaking the truth and I'm giving my total POS partner an out. I don't care if I'm stepping on his toes by interjecting if he lies; my integrity and credibility are more important than his BS explanation at that point.

It's a common myth that an umpire can overrule another. FED is explicit that the call of the umpire whose duty it is to make that call is final and other umpires cannot criticize or interfere unless asked by that umpire (10-1-4). I think you did the right things the right way in how you waited, but once you got together, absolutely tell him what you had. Remember that in such a play, the reason PU is heading up the line is to look for exactly what it was you saw -- a pulled foot. You had information your partner didn't have, so give it to him. What he does with it is up to him. Hopefully, he changes his call to the correct one, but you can't do that for him, and you can't overrule him.

Here it is... and it was actually a Riddell catcher CP

I thought the same thing the one time I have worn the Douglas I bought from Keith last year on here. That bottom plate could be a real nuisnce. I've ot a guy on my Facebook that Frankensteined a Mizuno catchers CP and put on the chest plates from a Gold and the shoulder plates from a Force3. It was a pretty sweet looking rig!

The calling umpire needs to initiate this conversation (as it appears he did.) Learn from this--when the shoe is on your foot, don't go for help unless you mean it. Did you have a postgame with him?

Yes, by definition a batter-runner can't be forced, but it has all the hallmarks of a force without being a force. In common parlance, it's a distinction without a difference. Both can be quaintly described as "you can't stay here, you gotta run forward".

I wouldn't pay money for that, buy a pillow instead. I pull the pillow out for all rec under 12 and softball. Wait@madmax the ladies may have some more influence in a few months. We've begun to converge [emoji36] Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

It is worth noting here that the fee is not for leaving NJ, but rather for entering PA, NY. Another piece of trivia, 60% of NJ is covered by pine barrens.

Well, that description is clearly wrong, under all codes.

Tough but fair...

@Thunderheads I hate to say it, but if you have half a day to kill, you can call the big "W" and explain your situation and see if they will sell you one. Sorry I didn't want to mention that "W" word. LOL

... and I never call time so as to clean the plate. Never. Now, if time is called for another reason (conference, hit-by-pitch, injury check, base-came-out-of-mooring, etc.), I'll take the opportunity to clean the plate. Even then, catchers and batters remark at how expedient efficient I am. There are two key words to this – awareness and edginess. We (as umpires) should always be aware of the status and location of the ball. If the catcher is at the backstop to retrieve the ball, throws it to the pitcher who then turns around in a frustrated huff to head back to the mound... the ball is still live, is it not? And for a runner on 3rd base (now R3), this could be a scoring opportunity, would it not? Inattentive fielder... open plate... So if the runner takes off, and the pitcher is quick enough to react and tag and/or shuffle it off to the catcher to tag the runner, would that not be an out? And we (as umpires) want (legit) outs, do we not? @WilsonFlyer, you said the right thing, just packaged it wrong – "once all motion has ceased". In that, you are aware that all possible plays have ended, and what the current status and location of the ball is – as do the rest of the participants. So why call Time?? What purpose does it serve? This gets into the other key word – edginess. We want the participants to be on edge... anticipatory... ready to pitch, ready to hit, ready to field, ready to make plays. This keeps the pace of the game going. When we call Time arbitrarily – without purpose (such as ball-out-of-play, interference, conference, etc.) – we're putting the participants in a relaxed state. And then they start walking around, and muttering, and pouting, and daydreaming, and suddenly you're looking at 2-3 minutes waste away per half inning. Does a 2nd Baseman really need Time to be called to throw the ball eight feet to the pitcher?! No. But then I'm looking at Umpires do exactly that, and suddenly we've got the entire infield (minus coach) all talking at the mound, and the R2 trotting off to go talk to 1BC or 3BC, and the batter going back to the ODC (or worse, dugout) for one last dousing of pine tar. Several minutes later, we finally have the batter step into the box, the catcher crouch down, and the pitcher engage to the rubber... and then the PU can call "Play!". This. Adds. Up! Now, if we keep the ball live, there's nothing preventing me (as PU) from cleaning the plate. I know where the ball is (with pitcher), I've got a catcher in proximity to the plate, I've got a new batter walking up, just quickly and effectively clean off the plate, step back behind the catcher getting into his crouch, direct the batter into the box, and we're ready to go. My BU partners have this understanding – if they ever get a balk call or a pickoff out call (hidden ball trick included) while I'm brushing the plate, I'm buying them a beer (or a tasty NA beverage if they are < 21). So back to the OP, it's tough cookies. Tell the pitcher not to pitch so sloppily, tell the catcher to stop moping, and tell the 3rd baseman to stop daydreaming. I will confidently say that what happened in the OP would never happen to me, but I support that umpire – that's not Umpire Interference, even in its most loose definition.

This is 100% nothing. I want to be in the stands with pop-corn and beverage for the $hit show that will ensue on the guy who calls this an out.

Obligatory correction of "foul tip" to "foul ball." I've found that most of my flinching issues are solved when I trust my catcher. If I know he's going to get his glove or body in front of every pitch then I can relax and focus on what I need to focus on. Once you get hit off a pitch that should've been blocked, that instinctual trust starts to fade away. Then when a batter swings at that up and in pitch, you think "This is going to hit me square in the face." Don't get me wrong, I trust all my gear that I put on, but instincts are hard to fight. You should find that when you do better games, like the 16U games you had, you'll flinch less and see the ball better. I'm sure you don't need reminding but this is EXTREMELY dangerous. If all else fails, keep your mask square to the pitch so that the ball hits you where it's supposed to.

I've had to take a few days to kind of figure out what I think of this. Not sure what coverage you have seen on this south of the border - Friday night a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team was t-boned by a semi. There were 29 on the bus, and 15 were killed, most instantly. This hits close to home for a few reasons. I know no less than four people from Humboldt, a town of under 6000 people. And the team I coached has traveled the highways of northern Saskatchewan by bus. My daughter has ridden the team bus for volleyball and softball. Many of the girls I coached are now on NCAA teams riding the bus to games and tournaments. But what really brings it home for me is my youth club baseball experience - in riding the bus to games and tournaments through Ontario and New York. Those are some of my fondest memories, travelling together, as a team. Bonding. Playing games - mostly cards. Talking. Laughing. And then it's all gone in a blink of an eye. Though the hockey experience is typically Canadian and this is where many Canadians relate to this tragedy - I'm one of the approximately six Canadians who never played organized hockey. To me the experience is that of the high level athlete or performer...the team, the group...and part of what many young people do in North America to follow a dream...or just to get to the next level of competition. I'm sure most of you ump several games a year where the teams arrived by bus. It's a rite of passage for many. I think of all them now, and hope they all continue to follow their dreams. This isn't a message to the dangers involved. It's a message that life is fleeting, and continue to do what you love, cherish the team experience, and bond in ways people who've never played a team sport can never understand. It's worth it.

Ah, the “cross-body Strike” mechanic. Yeaaahhh.. No. Don’t do it. It is completely irregular and unexpected of all umpires beneath the Big League guys. Evaluators, instructors and trainers will tear you apart if you trot that out in front of them. Oh sure, giving the mechanic across your body, away from obstruction of the batter, makes sense and seems natural... if you’re on TV with a camera in centerfield!! But you’re not on TV, and the only people that need to see your mechanic are the scorekeepers... behind you... who will never have a batter blocking their view of you. So, keep to signaling to the right. BU should be just Foul off the line in A, in a dynamic distance to 1B (as in, changing) depending on the first baseman (F3). He should never be behind you. You will want to be two-to-four steps behind him, putting yourself 10-16 feet behind 1B. Your Initial Position (IP) should never be in Fair, and/or on the line. It’s not bad form to carry one, but it’s largely unnecessary. The PU is the keeper of the count – that’s in his job description. If he’s doing his job, he will never need to check with you. In the event he does, if you have been paying attention to the game, the two of you can figure it out largely without an indicator anyway. If you want to practice using it without looking at it (a skilled art form), then go for that. But do not let it distract you from your attention and duties in your BU role. I’ve never carried one as BU, and never will. @Umpire in Chief and I both advocate for using the “Finger Method” if you really want to practice keeping the count on the bases. Best to look for? “Was it a swing (attempt), in your judgement?” It’s really not more complex than that. Coaches and players keep seeking some quantifiable benchmark to denote an actual swing. Sure, some things like “do the wrists break or roll” or “did the bat travel across the plate” are factors to consider, but really, no two swings are exactly the same. If you judged that he attempted to swing, then say so when asked by your partner. Otherwise, if you judge that he held up/checked his swing, then say so... again, only when asked by your PU. Your PU should be asking you when there is a doubt or request, regardless of where your IP is. That whole “you can’t judge that from C!” is a fallacy.

Ah, by citing the rule and explaining it, @maven clarified that MC, committed by the offense is a form of Interference. And that it supersedes Obstruction. Runners are charged, above all else in Fed, with “avoiding contact”. That, despite Obstruction presenting itself or occurring, the onus is on the Runner to reduce or avoid contact. This is why great latitude should be given to amateur players who “weave through traffic” provided there isn’t a play being made upon them. I’ve actually been told of, and witnessed, umpires calling kids out for not running a direct line from base to base while the rest of the participants are standing, watching the ball in the outfield; or, conversely, calling a BR-kid out for running around F1 or F3 trying to catch a pop-up in proximity to the 1BL. Not for interference, but for not interfering. No wonder our job is so hard. We have to overcome idiocy in our own ranks. So, back to OBS-MC-INT... With OBS “called” in his favor (initially), that doesn’t give R3 a “free pass” to committ MC. His act of MC upon the Fielder, in this case, eclipses the OBS and since Interference brings with it an immediate Dead Ball, someone is going to be Out (in this case, the Runner). Any coach that contests this can be countered with, “Yeah, Roger, but he didn’t have to hit/truck/knock him flat. He has to avoid contact, and that collision we just saw wasn’t brought to him.” This situation is a great example as to why we also have to recognize – and call – Obstruction (at the plate, especially) when it presents itself. Because Runners are charged with avoiding contact, they’ll do otherwise “crazy” things such as slide way too early, or go way to the infield or backstop side of the plate so as to avoid contact with the F2... who was likely “camped out” on or in front of the plate. We PU’s need to position ourselves so as to see all the elements as they converge – origin of throw, Runner at or arriving from 3B, and F2 (or whichever Fielder) positioning himself at the plate – instead of just ambiguously moving to the Library or 1BLX, mask in hand, and pivoting-in-place as everything passes you from left-to-right.

There is indeed a goofy FED ruling in the ballpark of this play, but not quite this one. What's missing from the discussion so far is that when R3 trucks F2, it is not only MC but also INT (that's what Cav's reference to 2-21-1 says). That, not the MC, is what makes the ball dead immediately, warrants calling an out, and sends other runners back. By rule (8-4-2e), MC always supersedes OBS. Any obstructed runner who subsequently commits MC will be denied his awarded base(s), ruled out, and ejected at the end of playing action.

I have MC, immediate dead ball, R3 is out #3 and EJ'd, OBS superseded, no run, we move into the bottom of the 5th inning, make some notes on the card, ask VHC for the sub's name, tell F1 and the ODB, "Two more." NFHS 2-21-1, 3-3-1m Penalty, 5-1-1e, 8-2-9, 8-4-2e, 9-5-2 Exception 5

This isn't about getting out more often. It's about the various rulesets over-legislating our jobs on the field. If there is a rule that covers it, and an opposing coach chooses to pick that rule to whine about, then we aren't doing our jobs as prescribed. For the record, I do understand what you are saying but our hands become tied with the various associations and douche-monster tournament directors... Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

Yeah, well, you'd think that. But there was this one game of mine where I was in A...